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Best Oprah moments ever!

By Amina Baig

 
 

The Oprah Winfrey Show has been on air for over two decades and has come into it's own as a ground-breaking, life-changing show. Perhaps the only talk show that has influenced people's opinions massively - be it the books they read or even their political views - the Oprah Winfrey Show will go off air in September 2011. Though in over 20 years the Oprah Winfrey Show has made too many memories to count; Instep attempts to gather five most memorable Oprah shows.

Moonwalk and myths:

Michael Jackson on Oprah


Michael Jackson moonwalked to an audience of 90 million Americans on the Oprah Winfrey Show in February 1993.

It was during this interview that Michael spoke of suffering abuse during his childhood and tried to clarify why his skin was changing colour; not because he was bleaching it lighter, but because he suffered from vitiligo.

The show was a Michael Jackson myth-buster of sorts; Oprah shot all sorts of questions at Michael: "are you a virgin?" to which a blushing Michael said, "I'm a gentleman." She asked him why he grabbed his crotch while dancing he said the music "compelled" him to. It was during this interview that the world learnt that Michael Jackson in fact, did not sleep in a hyperbaric chamber.

In retrospect Michael Jackson moonwalking on Oprah was one of the most uplifting moments in television - with Oprah exclaiming "I saw it live! I saw it live!"

Tom Cruise's moment of

insanity with Oprah


Oh how this one has been mocked and ridiculed and refuses to be forgotten! Who can ever forget Oprah telling Tom; "I've never seen you like this," (and she wasn't just referring to his pants which were buttoned to somewhere under his arms!) and Tom breaking into raptures of joy; pumping his fist in the air, sliding down to his knees and jumping back up and explaining it with a "I have a new movie coming out."
When Oprah pumps him further, Tom; face aglow, eyes glinting, tells her he is in love. He then leaps on to her couch: a moment that will forever etch Tom in the memories of those who watched this show as 'that crazy Scientologist actor who lost it on Oprah'.
Of course Katie Holmes is in the show as a surprise for Tom, who runs out of the studio to fetch her;  but her presence is completely overshadowed (and hence driven from our memories) by Tom's onscreen shenanigans.

The Abhiwarya appearance

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan appearing on Oprah was an absolute Bollywood coup - and also a Rai-Bachchan milestone; this being the first interview they gave together. Oprah is the most perfect hostess, as she raves about Aishwarya's beauty; asking the audience and Abhishek himself if he's "ever seen eyes like these?"
Oprah keeps referring to Aishwarya as the most beautiful woman in the world, and asks the actress if there is a secret to her beauty - which we learn there is none.

Aishwarya Rai seems completely bowled over by Oprah in what was her second time on the show; and Abhishek tries to downplay any excitement he might have felt and acts blasé. When Oprah asks him what Bollywood actors do during their time off, Abhishek replies "we fly to Chicago and come on Oprah." Ash who clearly finds this completely unfunny tells the audience, "you can see why I married him; he makes everything funny."
But the jewel in this crown is Aishwarya while Abhishek tells Oprah how he proposed to his future wife.

Not to be outdone by her husband's tale of emotions, Aishwarya intelligently pipes up: "It was very sweet and very real at the same time."

Everybody is a winner!

One of Oprah's trademarks through the years has been all the cool stuff she gave out occasionally during the recording of a show. So she might have a celebrity stylist as a guest, who talks about some awesome beauty product and the next thing you know is Oprah telling her audience to reach under their seats because that product has been gifted to them by the show. Who wouldn't want to be audience at a show where you get free stuff!

But Oprah's audience hit the mother-load in the fall of 2004 when Oprah (or rather General Motors) gifted them all a Pontiac G6 each. "You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! Everybody gets a car!" It went down as one of the greatest moments in television history - and everybody got a car out of it!

Oprah often also helped people realize a dream - or get a makeover by professionals - or allowed people who reached some sort of goal to come out and talk about it. This very vulnerable, human side to people that Oprah had a knack for drawing out is perhaps what makes her the world's sweetheart.

The best is yet to come

Seriously. Even after 23 years of airtime, shows that have been planned for the future or have already been recorded to play at a later date are tremendous in their own right.

Oprah famously supported President Barack Obama during the presidential elections and though she had had him on her show before he had announced his intentions to run for president; she refused to have any presidential candidates on her show during the elections.

But this year Oprah has recorded a holiday special with the First Family of America - Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special. The show is really about how far President Obama thinks he come since his election to the office. It also focuses on Christmas at the White House; a very domestic take on the President's life.

Another episode Oprah fans can look forward to is one that is still in the pipelines. Tiger Woods is currently contemplating coming on Oprah and coming clean.

With another couple of years till the show runs it's course through, there have to be a million more amazing Oprah moments to come.